Downtown Overland Park

At the dawn of the 20th century, railroad entrepreneur William B. Strang Jr. came to Kansas, married a local girl, and decided to make his home in the rolling hills of Johnson County. In 1905, he platted a subdivision along the military roadway we now call Metcalf. He built an air field, a city park, and lake to entice city folk to come to the country. He called the subdivision Overland Park and built an Interurban Railway connecting Kansas City and Overland Park, called the Strang Carline.